In a Different World
by fortheloveofawerewolf
Summary: What made Peeta's mom hate him so much? Where did the Everdeen's story begin? Why did Mrs. Everdeen and Mr. Mellark's story end? Very au, mostly in-character. ON HIATUS
1. Chapter 1 PART ONE

"Yeah, and now I'm partnered with John Mellark. Thanks a lot, I hope the guy works out for you." I walked briskly down the hall, Lily following closely behind.

"I think he will, we like all the same things and we both hate history class!" She grinned at me, ignoring my annoyance.

"Well see you later. If you decide to walk home with me and not what's his face. Seriously, you haven't even told me his name."

"It's James..." She looked wistful. "Doesn't that suit him so well?"

"Mellark has big hands and he's clumsy. This will be awful, how will I get the project done?"

"Relax, it's gonna be fine. If you need help... Actually no, please don't interrupt my study date."

"I seriously dislike you right now, Lily, don't try to be funny." I frowned at her and she pouted.

"Fine, okay. I'm sorry, this was my opportunity to get to know him. Sue me for taking it."

"Alright. But you'd better come through next time, I don't want to be stuck with Mellark again."

"Sage, he's not that bad. He's just clumsy."

"That's a bit of a problem when working with tiny electronic things, he'll probably break stuff."

"Well, have fun with that, later!" She hurried into the science lab, taking a seat next to the cute guy that she likes. I huffed and followed her, sitting next to where John Mellark sat. The teacher came in a minute later, his hair in its usual state of disarray. He surveyed the room, partnering up the stragglers.

"Alright, class, let me remind you that you'll be keeping this lab partner for the rest of the semester."

I bit back a groan. I forgot about that. Well great, now I'm stuck with big hands for three months, I scowl at Lily from across the room.

"Hey, Sage." I hear John's voice behind me, and turn to face him, planting a smile on my face.

"Hi John. Guess you're stuck with me for the sem."

He shrugged, smiling.

"I could do worse. Are you into the robotics and stuff we're working with?"

"Not really. But I don't dislike them."

"Great, last year, my partner hated everything and he made me do it all. That was fun..."

"Yeah no, I'll do my fair share of the work, no worries there." The teacher started then so we stopped our conversation. It was awkward anyway.

I hope this goes by quickly.

During the lecture, John would occasionally lean over and whisper a sarcastic comment to me about the subject. I had to restrain my giggles. He's pretty funny. His timing was impeccable, so he never was caught. I ended up sitting with my elbows on the table, with my hand clamped casually over my mouth. By the end of class, I figured maybe this semester wouldn't be so bad after all.

"Sage, wait up!" John jogged after me, headed towards my house.

"When do you want to start on the project?" I considered this.

"Oh, so you're one of those people that do their homework right after they get it." I joked. John nodded hesitantly. "Good, so am I, lets go nerd it out and get it done!" He laughed, looking relieved. We discussed the various ideas we'd had floating around our heads as we walked, and I have to admit, John is a lot smarter than I am.

"I'm just a little... Comcerned about the fabrication. I'm not the smoothest." He bit his lip. I nod, smiling.

"I know, don't worry, you plan, I'll assemble."

"Perfect, thanks."

Throughout the week, John would come over and we would work on our robot, him telling me exactly where to put things. We laughed our butts off almost every day, and somehow we ended up sitting together at lunch, trying to be discreet as we sarcastically analyzed everyone that passed us.

"Oooh, Leevy got dumped last night... her mascara didn't come off all the way..." I giggled, even though we both knew she and Thom were still together.

"Maybe he cheated on her with Coin." John looked over at Alma Coin, the senior that pretty much everyone obeyed because she just looked _in charge._ The idea of her and Thom, who was a junior like us, doing anything made us both snort.

"Coin keeps looking at William Hawthorne. Not that I really blame her." I laughed. John smirked.

"Oh come on, like she or anyone else has a chance, everyone knows William Hawthorne belongs to Hazelle Everdeen. If she got wind of this..." He whistled and we looked down as people began to raise their eyebrows in our direction, wondering why we were laughing so much.

"Scrutiny! Look away, look away!" I hissed. We both started laughing again.  
~~~~~~~

John and I got to be great friends, and as finals week approached, we made plans to be lab partners again in January. I never thought I would end up liking John so much, but I do. I hardly ever hang out with anyone else, Lily being the one exception. She and James started going out, and one day I had to make a detour around the hallway where her brothers had cornered him and warned him about the consequences of hurting her.

It was the Friday before finals week, and I was reasonably confident about my preparedness for everything except history. I sat in the library at 3am, trying to shove just a few more dates into my unconscious brain. The words blurred on the page, and I blinked hard to try to see clearly.

"9532, when King George sailed around the world in a canoe. 4217, when Alfred the Great sent an armada to Russia." I snorted at myself. "No, that's ridiculous. He sent a fleet. 5732, when Julius Caesar went to the moon." I heard a noise then, and glanced up just in time to see a gauzy white figure float behind some books and I screamed. I ran after it, tripping twice, and bumping my head on an encyclopedia. I sat on the floor, rubbing where the bruise would show tomorrow. I closed my eyes for a second, and I thought I blinked, but when I opened them again and checked my phone, it was 3:45. It took me several tries to unlock it and pull up my support group's number.

"John?"

"Sage? Where are you? It's almost 4 o'clock." He sounded sleepy and I cursed myself for waking him up.

"I'm at the libbary, I just saw a ghost and I almost died trying to see it."

"Wha-Sage why are you out this late? You sound like your drunk, you need sleep."

"John a ghost! A ghost here, please rescue me, I got a concussion and my brain hurts!" I spluttered. I hear him chuckle a little, and the sound of sheets, he must be getting up.

"'S not funny, John," I told him sternly. "I'm gonna die and you're laughing? What kind of best friend are you?" I slurred before the phone slipped from my fingers and I passed out.


	2. Chapter 2

When I woke up, I was nicely tucked in to John's bed, if I remember right with my vision spinning. I rolled over to see the clock. It was 11:30. I pulled the comforter over my eyes to block out the light that filtered in through the crack between the blinds and the edge of the window. I stayed there until I heard someone walking down the hall and opening the door.

"Sage, honey? Are you awake?" I pulled the blanket down so just my eyes poked out, blinking to focus on John's mom.

"Hi, Mrs. Mellark. What happened?"

"John brought you here from the library. Next time, don't stay out so late, okay?" I nodded.

"I have breakfast downstairs, you should eat something before you go home. I already called your parents and told them you were here."

"Thanks, I feel so stupid, I called John at 4am and told him I saw a ghost, then I passed out and wake up here... gosh, this is why school is a bad idea." I mumbled, scowling when she just laughed.

"Come on, time to get up. Breakfast won't stay hot forever." She pulled the blankets off of me, offering her hand to hoist me up. I've always liked the Mellarks, and it makes sense that someone as laid back as John would have cool parents. We made our way downstairs, my only tripping once, and she sat me down at the table, where a stack of pancakes sat on a plate.

"Good morning, sunshine." John laughed as he came in and washed his hands. "Did you want to tell me about your adventure with the ghost?" I scowled again as he just smirked at me.

"Look, in my defense - wait, I don't need to defend myself, it's you. I was tired, okay? Also, sorry for waking you up." I grunted through a mouthful of pancake. "These are really good, Mrs. Mellark." I said once I had swallowed. She thanked me before taking the towels off the rack next to the sink and leaving the room. Saturday is her laundry day.

"So was the four hours of extra cramming worth it?" John asked, smirking behind his orange juice glass.

"No, I don't think so. I wonder what I wrote down, I don't remember anything." I flipped open my notebook that was sitting on the table next to me.

"Wow, John Wesley Powell was a poodle. Cockroaches. 2782, Armstrong went surfing." I looked up when I heard John make a choking noise. I burst out laughing when I saw him with his hand over his mouth, trying to not spit orange juice everywhere. After a minute, he swallowed and said, panting,

"No, it was totally worth it, let me see that." He swiped my notebook looking at the things I'd written down, snorting and pulling out his phone to take pictures of my "facts." I snatched it back.

"Those are going on the internet." He laughed. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"I strongly dislike you..."

"Can you believe the year's practically over?" I said, walking up to John at his locker.

"Yeah, it went by so fast. They say junior year is the worst out of them all because you're too old to not be noticed when you fail, but you aren't top dogs like the seniors."

"Well that's us next year, isn't it..." I trailed off, seeing Lily come up with puffy red eyes.

"James." I hissed to John. He spun around to see what I was looking at.

"Lily-" he held his arms out and she buried her head in his shoulder, crying quietly.

"H-he was kissing-he was kissing her-he was kissing that girl-" I rubbed her shoulder comfortingly, determining to track down her brothers to teach that bastard a lesson.

"Who? Do you want me to-" I asked but stopped when she shook her head.

"Don't, I'm determined to take this gracefully." She pulled her head up, wiping her eyes, and grimacing at the mascara that came away on her fingers. "Well that isn't graceful." I smiled, taking her hand to clean her up at my locker. I waved to John, who looked after us sorrowfully. He spun on his heel and set off in the other direction. He'll make James sorry.

I helped Lily take off her smudged makeup, quickly dusting powder over her face to take away the shine.

"Thanks, Sage. I'm so sorry, I ditched you for him, and then he wasn't even worth it after all." I shook my head.

"You didn't know that then, now you know and you won't waste any more energy on him. Kay? Are you feeling better?" She nodded, and swung her backpack back onto her shoulders to go to class. The bell rang right after we entered the classroom, and I took pleasure in seeing James sitting across the room, his lip bleeding a little. John is in a different class this period, but I know it was him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~  
"LAST DAY OF SCHOOL AND WE'LL BE FREE!" I shouted as I ran toward the school, catching sight of John leaning against the wall chuckling. Yeah, I'm that crazy embarrassing friend and he's the one that just refuses to get embarrassed.

"Enjoying yourself?" I nodded vigorously, laughing and shoving him towards the door.

"Come on, it's the last day of school, why aren't you yelling about it?"

"Because everyone here already knows?" He grins, shrugging.

"Oh shut up, you're boring." I snort, smacking his shoulder.

"Go ahead." He tells me.

"Go ahead and what?" I ask, confused.

"Yell 'WE'RE DONE' and run around doing cartwheels on the field, you know you want to." He smirks at me.

"Only if you do it with me!" I laughed, grabbing his wrist.

"I can't do a cartwheel." He protested, dragging his feet.

"Doesn't matter, no one cares! Come on, yell." I order, and to my surprise, he bellows out,

"WE'RE DONE, WE'RE FREE AS AIR!" And does a cartwheel so awkwardly that I crumple down to the grass laughing.

"Your turn, Sage." He grumbles, sitting down. I mimic his cartwheel once, grinning at him, then turn a few good ones, yelling about freedom the whole time. I circle back to him, dizzy and breathless.

"Now that school is over... what do we do?"


	3. Chapter 3

"No, John-" I stuttered into my phone, hissing when I caught my toe on the desk I was passing.

"It's okay, Sage. It's fine. I just thought..."

"I'm sorry, I should have asked you first. I kind of assumed you would go with Lily though."

"Why would I go with Lily?" He asked a little too fast. I smiled.

"I don't know..." Maybe because you have a huge adorable crush on her?

"I barely know her, Sage-" John continued to protest.

"I'm sorry John! Okay?" We had all been invited to go to the Halloween party for our grade, which would be held at the Hawthornes house. I had agreed to go with my dad to the mountains that day though, and I guess John didn't know I wasn't going until Will Hawthorne mentioned it.

"Lily would go if you asked her to..." I hinted.

"But she's your friend, why would you not invite her and we all go?"

"Because I wanted to go to the mountains, John!" I sputtered, getting a little annoyed that he wasn't understanding my reason for opting out.

"Fine. I'll talk to Lily and see if she's going. I guess I'll see you at school." Great, he's planning on not talking to me until Monday.

"Fine." I say a little too harshly but I don't give myself a chance to take it back, snapping my phone shut.

"Ugh!" I growled, dropping my phone into my backpack. I was on my way out of the classroom, and John was probably halfway home by now. I couldn't catch up with him if I tried. But I didn't even want to try.

I had calmed down considerably by the time I got to our house, and greeted my mom as I passed the kitchen.

"Oh Sage! I need to talk to you." I dumped my stuff in the living room and scooped up the baby before going back into the kitchen to see what Mom wanted.

"I talked to your dad earlier, something came up at the office and he can't go tomorrow. There's some kind of an inspection that he'll need to prepare over the weekend for. I'm sorry, honey." I stood staring at her, while she continued stirring the noodles in the pot.

"Dad can't leave tomorrow?" I asked quietly.

"I can take you if you want, we can have Mrs. Harris take your brother for the day."

I blinked a few times.

"Mom you hate hiking."

"I feel bad that you'll miss your trip though."

I sighed, lifting Quinn up higher on my shoulder.

"No, that's okay mom. Maybe we can go later in the year before it starts snowing."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just that I got into an argument with John because I couldn't go to the party tomorrow night."

"Oh, is that the one at the Hawthornes?"

I nod.

"Well you could go to that one now, if you wanted to. All you need is a costume."

"Yeah, except I'm not sure if John would be glad I showed up after all, or if he would be mad that we argued so much over it just for me to go anyway."

"I'm sure he'll be happy to see you there. He seems happy to see you any other time..." She teased.

"Mom.." I trailed off, putting Quinn into his high chair and grabbing a pear before leaving the kitchen to sort out my homework.

"John hasn't asked you?" I say through my mouthfull of pear.

"Nope. I did get asked by Chris though. I'm going with him."

I coughed, nearly spitting fruit all over my paper. I looked at my phone as if it would give me the right answer.

"You're going with Chris? But he's a player! Everybody knows it!"

"I know, I'm going to go with him and dump him before he dumps me, show him what it's like." She giggled.

"You're diabolical, Lily Cartwright, you know that?" I laughed.

"Yeah, so I've been told."


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER: I'm not actually a part of the Harry Potter fandom, so anything relating it is from Pinterest/Tumblr**

 **I hope you enjoy this chapter! Drop me a reviewww :)**

"You're going as WHAT?" I choked out. Lily grinned.

"We're going as Ginny and Harry."

"But... that's so wrong, you're blonde, he has red hair! You should go as Ron and Hermione!"

"Ew, Chris as Ron? Puh-lease. He can't pull that off."

"And he can pull off Harry?"

"Well we already bought our costumes so we can't switch now."

"All you need is a graduation gown and a tie. They wear pretty much the same thing a lot of the time." I snorted, scrolling through Google images for my own costume ideas.

"What are you going as?" I sighed.

"I'm not sure yet. I was thinking like a female Robin Hood or something foresty like that. I mean, this party's at the Hawthornes and they're about as close to Robin Hood and his merry men as you can get. Other than the Everdeens of course." I thought about the odd tree-people who seemed like they were always peaceful and content even though they never seemed to have more than the bare necessities.

"I agree, although Tannin would make an excellent Robin Hood. He's so..." Lily trailed off with a giggle.

"Organic?" I laughed.

"I guess you could say that. I think he rose out of a tree as a child, and his parents just found and adopted him." Tannin was very tall, with almost black hair and a deep tan.

"Anyways, I guess Robin Hood it is. Robin is a girl's name anyway." I sighed, shutting off my computer.

"What do you think William will go as?" Lily asked dreamily. I rolled my eyes.

"I don't know, a tree or something. They never really have good costumes, those two families. It's kinda weird. That's why I was surprised they're having such a big party."

"Yeah, I have never been to their house, because ut I'm half-expecting it to be a log cabin."

Halloween was tomorrow, and I still couldn't find a good bow and arrow. I sent an email to Lily, and she managed to find one, she said it belonged to Tannin's sister or something? Anyway, my costume was now complete. I wore a dark green tunic over skin-tight black jeans and a sleeveless green hoodie. I grabbed my bow and arrow and the car keys and drive to pick up Lily.

"Ooh, Sage, you look so fierce. I'm sure you'll be the talk of the party. Aside from sexy cops and slutty pumpkins of course." She rolled her eyes, sticking her wand behind her ear as she buckled. I laughed, checking my mirrors and over my shoulder for early trick or treaters before pulling out.

"Well thanks, you don't look too bad yourself, Ginny."

"Welcome to house Haunthorne, Robin." Lily giggled as we crossed over the threshold into the very woodsy smelling home. I grinned, my eyes roaming over all the skeletons and witches.

"You're officially the most attractive witch here." I laugh, as one with a huge hooked nose passed us. She went off to look for Chris and I started scanning the room for John.

"This your definition of the mountains, or could you just not live with yourself for ditching me?" A familiar voice asked directly behind me. I jumped at the sound, spinning to see John.

"John Mellark you almost gave me a heart attack!" I spluttered, pressing a hand to where I could feel my blood pulsing heavily.

"That was the idea.. But I'm sorry. What are you doing here? I thought you wanted to go to the mountains with your dad." I found my eyes cast down and adjusted the tie on his Clark Kent costume while I mumbled out my explanation.

"My dad had extra work to do at his office and he couldn't get away for the day. I figured I might as well cut my losses and not make my mom hike around all day instead. So here I am." I looked up when he didn't respond right away, and he was watching me so intently, I blushed and looked down again, pulling an imaginary loose thread off of his jacket. I realize we look a little like a married couple, standing so close and with the wifey adjusting his suit. I take a step back so I don't have to crane my neck to see his face. He smiles, pulling me back for a comforting hug.

"I'm sorry, but I'm glad you decided to come hang out with your main bro anyway." I laugh a little.

"You're my only bro, who else would I go to?" He snorts, gesturing around the room.

"Eligible brochelors surround us, you could choose from any of these. I am honored that you chose me though, m'lady Robin Hood." He knelt down and kissed my knuckles jokingly, and I had to laugh.

"You can be my maid Marian anytime you want, Clark." I chuckled.

"Go find Lily, she was going to break up with Chris about an hour ago." I tell John, giving him a nudge with my hip.

"What does that have to do with me though?" John said, raising his eyebrow. I rolled my eyes.

"I know you like her, go and dance with her. She'll be bored." John's cheeks pinkened and he handed me his punch cup before setting off to find the little blonde. I drained both of our cups, tossing his into a nearby plastic bag before weaving through the horny teenagers grinding on the dance floor to the punch table. While I was refilling my cup, I heard a voice behind me, my hand jumping and dumping out half of the ladleful of punch I was trying to get in my cup.

"Hey, we match, fellow Robin." I glanced over my shoulder to see who was talking to me.

"Well looks like you stole my costume idea," I laughed, looking over the much more authentic looking Tannin. The look suited him very well and I had to refrain from touching the bow and quiver slung naturally over his shoulder. When did Tannin Everdeen get so attractive?

"Oh please, this is no costume. I actually AM Robin Hood." He challenged, a smirk in place and an eyebrow raised. I shook my head, smiling.

"That doesn't surprise me as much as it should. I pulled my hood off with a sigh, dramatically holding my bow out for him to take.

"To the original." I said mournfully. He laughed, pushing it back at me.

"Hazelle would kill me if I took that. Can you shoot it?"

I scoffed.

"I don't think so, I've never tried. Lily got this for me, she just said it was your sister's." I toyed absently with the taut string. He straightened from where he was leaning on the table.

"You've never shot one before? No no no, this won't do, no little Joan of mine will be left so defenseless, come with me and I will teach you in my ways." He bowed, extending his hand to me and waiting until I hesitantly put my hand in his. He grinned as he led me out of the loud main area and out a side door

"Where are we going...?" I asked nervously.

"The great outdoors, get some free oxygen into your lungs. Will has all kinds of targets set up." He weaves in and out of trees, holding branches up so I wouldn't run into them. Eventually we stopped, and he took a deep breath with such a happy expression on his face, that I couldn't help but smile back, taking a breath as well. He grabbed his bow and drew an arrow with such a smooth flow, I couldn't look away as he aimed and let it fly into the center of a target about twenty feet away.

"You really are Robin Hood." I breathed, slightly in awe and a little scared at being out in the semi-darkness alone with such a skilled shooter. He grinned.

"Your turn."

"I'm not sure how to-" I picked up my bow awkwardly. "-hold it. Or anything."

He held it up, positioning my hands on the bow and notching an arrow in place for me to use.

"It's pretty simple once you get the hang of it. See?" He put my hands in the right places and helped me pull the arrow back to my ear. Then he let go, but since I wasn't expecting it, I squeaked in surprise and let go too. It whizzed through the air and stuck in the tree right above where the target sat. I grinned, looking back at him.

"I hit a tree!" He chuckled, giving me a high five.

"Nice shot, now try it on your own." I pulled the arrow from the tree and notched it in my bow, pulling back to shoot again. I grunted when the arrow rolled off its notch.

"You were twisting the bowstring, that'll make the arrow fall. Pull it back straight with these three fingers." He held his hand in the right place, pulling the string back and forth a few times to illustrate his meaning. I nodded, putting the arrow back and pulling it back as straight as I could. I held it there for a second, aiming with one eye closed. I let it fly, and it made a satisfying thwack as it stuck in the edge of the target, between the outer and second rings. I cheered, spinning around to face Tannin, who had a adorable half-grin on as he watched me.

"Great job, you're a natural." He opened his arms and I stepped into them, wrapping my arms around his waist. Once I got there, I didn't really want to move, I felt so safe with his tight embrace. After a couple seconds, I loosened my arms and pulled back, ready to shoot some more.

"Can you shoot upside down or like from a tree or something?"

Tannin laughed, and when he finished, he cleared his throat and said, "yeah, actually. I'm not as good as Will but." He hooked his bow over his shoulder and stuck an arrow in his teeth. I watched as he climbed into a nearby tree and hooked a knee over one branch, swinging down backwards, shooting an arrow into the third ring of the target and flipping his feet over his head, landing on the ground. My jaw fell and I clapped slowly.

"Wow, how...?" He chuckled, his pink cheeks glowing in the moonlight.

"Lots of practice. And bruises." He looked up at the moon, letting his bow drop into the soft dirt and plopping down beside it. He smiled at me and patted the dirt beside him. I tossed my own bow down and claimed the offered space.

"Just look at that. You can see everything. You're from the city, aren't you?" He leaned back on his elbows, waiting for my reaction.

"Yeah. I can't see much besides the moon from my yard." I turned to see him lay down against the dirt, smiling at me. I later back too, a little surprised to feel Tannin's strong arm between my head and the ground. In a moment of boldness, I scooted closer, leaning against his shoulder so I wouldn't cut off his circulation.

"The air is so much BETTER out here." He said softly. I nodded, filling my lungs.

"What did you call it before? Free?"

"Free oxygen. Society is like being fenced into a pen with other people. Somehow it's a bad thing if you go outside the boundary and explore a little. That's me." I grin.

"You rebel you." I felt his chest rumble a little as he laughed.

"Yeah, I guess I am."


	5. Chapter 5

"Sage!" I heard John bellowing from the house. I snorted.  
"Is that John Mellark?" Tannin asked, helping me up.  
"Yeah, he probably wants to make sure I'm alive." I snatched my bow off the ground and ran to pry my arrows from the tree. Tannin gave them each a quick yank, handing me mine and dropping his back into his quiver.  
We made our way back towards the house, meeting John before we entered the line of light.  
"Oh good, you weren't out there by yourself. I didn't know where you went, Sage, don't disappear on me like that. Lily and I were worried." He scolds. Tannin laughs a little and I blush.  
"Sorry, I didn't want to interrupt you two." I winked and he rolled his eyes.  
"I wasn't with Lily, she was still with Chris so I was hanging out with Maysilee Donner." He says, with the tone of finality. I know not to bug him about it.  
"I don't think I've ever actually met you, I'm Tannin." Tannin extended his hand to John, and John smiled and shook it firmly. I'm assessing the dynamic between these two, fully aware that a lot of the school assumes John and I are secretly together.  
"John. Where did you guys go? It's pretty dark out." He squinted into the trees, probably looking for a tree fort or something that would intrigue me.  
"I was teaching Little Joan how to shoot that bow of hers. Will has a bunch of targets set up out there."  
"Are you any good?" John asked me, smirking slightly. I toss my hair over my shoulder.  
"Apparently I'm a natural, I hit the target both times," I informed him smugly.  
"She did, she's really good already." Tannin confirmed, nudging me with his upper arm. John raised his eyebrow. I don't know what he thinks about me going around in the dark with Tannin, although we both know he's the safest person to be trapped outside with. He could probably move into the woods permanently, and just live off the land.  
"Hm, I'll have to see this sometime... anyway, we need to let Lily know you aren't dead." He turned slightly, starting to move in the direction of the door. "So apparently Abe Cartwright thought it would be a good idea to punch Haymitch Abernathy. I think it had something to do with his girlfriend."  
"Abe got a girlfriend?" I laughed.  
"Yeah, nobody knows who, she's homeschooled, I think." Tannin explained, using a keypad to unlock the door. "Which is why Haymitch was making fun of him I'm guessing."

"Anything else interesting happen?" I asked.

"Not really, there's just been a lot of grinding and a couple of breakups."

"So the usual."

"Yeah, the usual." He chuckles as we fight through the crowds to find Lily.

"I'll see you later, Sage." Tannin says, smiling and making his way back towards where I can see Will leaning against the wall.

"Okay," I am a little disappointed, "See you in school." I smile as he turns. I look at John, who has the tiniest hint of a smile on his face but doesn't reach his eyes.

"Where did you last see her?" I point his attention back to the matter at hand.

"Over that direction." He gestures towards the windows near the door.

We make our way to that area, keeping an eye out for the little blonde.

"Sage!" She screeches, wrapping her arms around my neck and putting her face near mine. "Sage." She looked at me seriously. "We gotta tell Will that someone spiked the punch." She nods at her words, losing her balance and clutching me in an attempt to stay upright.

"Lily, how much did you have?" I groan, passing her off to John who put one arm around her waist and used the other to keep hers over his shoulders.

"Only three or four cups, I swear. But it was really good, I wanna get some more." She starts moving in the direction of the table but I roll my eyes and take my place on her other side.

"Come on, let's get you home." I grunt, making a face at John.

"The party's just starting!" She whined.

"Nope, party's over, time for bed." We make our way out of the door and I take a deep breath when we shut the door, closing all the noise inside.

"Some party." John remarks, and readjusts his grip around Lily's waist. "How can someone so small be so heavy..." He complains. We don't say anything more until we get to Lily's house, where John stopped at the bottom of the stairs.

"How are we gonna get her up there?" I ask. John rolls his eyes and scoops her up, trudging up the stairs. I lean against one of the pillars and he turns around.

"Aren't you coming? I'm not going to get her out of this dress." I push off the pillar with a sigh and follow him into her room. He drops her gently onto the bed before leaving the room.

"I'll be downstairs, I'll walk you home." He tells me quietly, walking as softly as he can so he doesn't wake up her parents. I strip Lily down to her underwear and find her tshirt and shorts laying on the floor by her closet.

"You owe me big time," I grumble, pointing at her unconscious face before leaving. I hear her snores as I closed the door.  
~~~~~~~~~~

"So Lily's grounded for a week, although I don't know how it's her fault for drinking punch that she didn't know was spiked." I complain as John and I head to biology.

"I guess because she drank more after she realized it was alcohol?"

"I don't really blame her though, she just thought it tasted good, she didn't really know it was spiked. Someone must have spiked it halfway through the party, because I had a lot and I didn't get drunk."

"Yeah, neither did I. Or maybe Lily's just a light-weight." He smiled.

"When are you going to tell her?"

"Tell her what?" He skirts.

"You know, that you have a crush on her?" I nudge his shoulder with mine, grinning.

"I do not!" He scowls back at me.

"You totally do!" I snicker. "Come on, you practically admitted it on Saturday."

"No, I was going to find my friend to support her when she got dumped." He protests.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." I frown, wondering if he honestly didn't know or just didn't want to tell me.

"Anyway, when are you going to talk to Tannin? Everyone knows you guys went out into the dark forest for like an hour. By yourselves." He redirects, smirking.

"I'll have to return his sister's bow at some point, I guess then." I explain quietly, not really wanting to divulge anything in the crowded school hallway.

"Mhm, why aren't you going to just give it to Hazelle?"

"Because I don't know her and I'm a little bit scared of her." I explain, eyeing the aforementioned as we approach her locker. We stop talking as we pass her, and she ignores us while she talks to another black-haired, grey-eyed girl. There's a divide between the two sections of town, the blonde wealthy kids and the raven haired poor ones. Rarely do the two mix, which is why me hanging out with Tannin was so unusual and apparently now the gossip of the school. Great.

We went into biology, making snarky comments whenever possible but not mentioning Lily, Hazelle or Tannin again.

* * *

 **Please leave a review! I'm not sure if I'm going to have them go to college, or even if I do, if I'll document it. What do you want to see?**


	6. Chapter 6

"Guess whatttttt!" Lily trilled, falling in step beside me. We're finally out of school for good, graduation wrapped up three hours ago and now Lily and I are walking home after spending a good amount of time partying at the Donner's house.

"Whattttt?" I mock her, laughing.

"John told me he likes me, we're going out on Sunday!" She sang, doing a little spin, and her dress billowed out around her knees. I laughed.

"Finally, I've been working on him since, like, Halloween..." I laughed. She gasped.

"He waited this long?"

"He was kinda scared, I mean you're one of his best friends so that's always scary." I defended him. It worked on her.

"Still, I mean that's a lot of months, and now I feel bad for hooking up with James again in February..." She trailed off. "Oh well, better late than never, right?"

"Yeah." I agreed with her. Certainly didn't have to do with the fact that John had asked ME on a date in late March... I shudder as I remember the awkwardness that followed. Romantically, he was attracted to Lily. I knew that, but he didn't think it was the long-term attraction. He told me that I was his first choice because he knew for certain that we got along and could put up with each other's moods. But Lily doesn't need to know that.

"Earth to Sage..." Speaking of her...

"What?" I asked, wondering how long I had been zoning out.

"You looked like you were thinking pretty hard, what's going on in there?" I shrugged, not close to being ready to find a way to tell her that she's second choice.

"Nothing, I was just thinking about all the things I want to do this summer." I lied brightly. She didn't believe me, but let it go anyway.

"Oh yeah, I want to go on a road trip, maybe invite some of the school girls, Maysilee, Leona, Prue..." She listed off all the girls she enjoyed gossiping with, suddenly running out of fingers and having me help her remember them until we could write them down later. I easily complied, although a road trip with 12+ teenage girls sounds like torture to me. When we get to my house, Lily chirps a goodbye, continuing on to her own home.

"Oh Sage, you're home. You behaved yourself at the Donner's?" My mom questioned, setting a plate of spaghetti down in front of me. I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, mom, I behaved myself at the party." I doused my noodles in cheese and dug in, starving since the only thing they'd had at the party in the way of refreshments were peanuts and candy.

"Your friend called, he wanted to make sure you got home safely. I told him you were probably on your way, and I'd let him know he called." She relayed. She took a deep breath and my stomach clenched. Not again.

"Sage, I don't know if-"

"Mom, please..." I pleaded, keeping my face directed at my food.

"I just don't want to see you get hurt. You spend an awful lot of time around the Mellark boy, and there's nothing wrong with that, as long as you're careful." She droned on, and I sort of zoned out, giving her automatic answers every now and then.

"Sage, are you even listening to me?" She sighed heavily.

"Yeah-"

"Hi honey," My dad rescued me, walking in and giving my mom a kiss in her hair before heading to the sink and washing his hands.

"What kept you out so long, I thought you just needed screws." She asked, focusing her attention on him now.

"Oh, I ran into Bran Mellark. At any rate, they didn't have what I needed anyway so I had to place and order." I could feel my mom thinking 'after all that?'

I hastily finished eating while they talked about their days, and snuck off to my room. Once safely locked in, I called John.

"Hey, I was just getting worried about you."

"Hi John, I'm not dead so you can sleep peacefully tonight." I joked. He chuckled from his end.

"How did you enjoy the party? I couldn't find you to say bye." John left an hour before I did.

"It was... loud." I decided. He laughed.

"Yeah, I thought so too. I was glad to have an excuse to leave without offending Maysilee." Now I laughed, Maysilee has been after John for about four months.

"Well, maybe she would leave you alone if you did."

"Yeah... I... you're probably right." He said, and I could hear the smile in his voice.

"Oh, my dad is coming up, I gotta go." I said hastily, barely catching his laugh and 'bye, Sage' before I hung up.

"Sage?" Two knocks.

"Just a sec Dad-" I looked around frantically, changing my jeans for the shorts sticking out of one of my drawers. "I'm just dressing-" I tucked my phone under my blankets.

"Sage, open the door please." I took a breath before I let him in.

"Hi Dad," I greeted calmly.

"Sage, your mother says-"

"It's not true, he asked me out and I said no-" My dad's eyebrows went up.

"He? I was going to say your mother says you've been neglecting your chores." He looked at me intently. "Care to explain yourself?"

"Well..." I cursed myself inwardly.

I'm sorry for skipping so much time, I am getting so much writer's block on Jage, I'm trying to move it forward closer to Everlark. Please follow and review!


	7. Chapter 7

So sorry for such a long cliffhanger! Here's the rest of the scene plus a little more, I'm trying to move Sage and John along a bit to get to my favorite people later C:

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My dad looked at me expectantly.

"See I kind of got another best friend..." I explain haltingly.

"Other than the Cartwright girl?"

"Other than Lily."

"And I'm guessing a boy."

"Yeah... John Mellark."

"Good kid. So he asked you out?"

I nod, cringing at having this conversation.

"But he's with Lily now, they just started going out today, and he hasn't mentioned dating me since March, it's been months and Mom is overreacting."

"Alright Sage," he concluded, scratching his jaw, amused. "I'm glad it didn't turn out messy. Get your chores done, hear me?" He smiled, keeping eye contact as he backed out of my room. I rolled my eyes and shut the door when he was out.

Oh Dad, if it only doesn't turn out messy.

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"I can't believe you're still with him, how long has it been?" Lily smirked, sitting cross legged on my bed.

"Two months, seven if you count our flirtationship. That isn't that long, you're still with John, aren't you?" I rolled my eyes. It'd only been a week since we graduated, so it was muggy and unpleasant. I made sure my hair was sufficiently off my neck so I wouldn't sweat like a pig. My shaky hands kept dropping pins, though and I grunted in frustration as I bent down to pick up another one.

Lily's grin slipped into a smile.

"Yeah, but John is like... the boy next door, Tannin is like..." she paused to consider, rumpling the gauzy scarf in her hands into a blue pile in her lap. "He's like the mysterious dangerous hot dude who transferred schools due to an unknown situation. You know what I mean?"

I nod.

"Yeah he does seem too Disney to be true." I concede. "But he isn't, he's real." Finished pinning my updo in place, I moved on to my lipstick. My heart was fluttering nervously as the time grew near.

"You missed a piece in the back," Lily told me, standing to grab a couple pins from my dresser and fixing my hair.

I glance at the clock again, finding myself get another spurt of jitters and I spin around my room a couple times as Lily laughs.

"You're so hyper."

"I can't help it," I breathe, sitting down to lace up my sandals. "It's our first REAL date, not just hanging out or study dates after school or-" I was cut off by the doorbell and nearly shrieked "he's here!"

I spun around and lunged for my bedroom door. I heard Lily behind me.

"Sage Sage Sage, it's just Tannin, I know he's hot but for whatever reason, he likes you for you, knock off the hyper and be normal or you're gonna make him nervous too."

I nod, take a deep breath and 'calmly' walk to my front door, my fingers tensing as I hear my mother's voice as she entertains him while he waits for me to finish getting ready.

"Hi Tannin," I greet from the doorway. He stops mid sentence and looks up at me, a brief look of something washing over his face before he schools his features and smiles to greet me.

"You look beautiful, Sage." He reaches out for my hand and wraps it in both of his, looking back at my mother and finishing whatever he was saying before.

"And I promise to have her back at 11, Mrs. Wynette."

"Fine, be safe, you two." She kisses my cheek and disappears with Lily around the corner.

"You ready to go?" I bit my lip and nod, feeling like I was about to pass out. But the good way, if that's a thing.


	8. Chapter 8

This is the last chapter of part 1, just the parents and how they came together, next part will be how Lily and Sage fall apart, bebbs Katniss and Peeta and a little more with Tannin hopefully I hope you like!

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"Who's your plus one going to be?" I ask my little friend, as we tie tiny silver bows onto tiny bags of tiny candies. The wedding is still two weeks away but there's so much left to do.

"I don't know, I want to bring Roland, but we've only been going out for a couple weeks, I'm not sure if it's protocol yet." She responds with a roll of her bright eyes.

"I think you should bring him if you want to, but there's no shame if you come by yourself, John's coming single, I hear." I nudge her ribs and she sighs, exasperated.

"Sage... John and I broke up last year... twice... we're still on hiatus." I eye her critically.

"Why? And why do you never burn the bridge completely, you just 'take breaks,' do you like being with him or not?"

"I like being with him, I'm just not always sure-" she trails off and I put down my ribbon and watch her until she glances up.

"I'm not always sure he enjoys being with me."

"Lily, why would he go back to you if he doesn't like being with you?"

"Because he can't get the person he does want to be with. Alright, I guess I know he enjoys being with me, but it just isn't enough, you know? I don't know, maybe we're done for good, but you know how hard I have to work to not be second choice in everything because I'm extremely average."

"You're great Lily, maybe you aren't an above and beyond academic, but you're a good one, you're a hard worker and you can talk so well, plus you're beautiful and loyal." Her cheeks get rosy and she furrows her brow.

"I'm second choice in everything and I can't get away from that." She reabsorbs herself in her work. "Maybe I'll never get married, then I won't be anyone's second choice." She grumbles to herself.

"That's your choice, Lils." I tell her quietly. She exhales heavily.

"You nervous?"

I giggle.

"A little. My first marriage and all." I joke. She laughs a little, packing up the favors we've finished and pulling out the next group of supplies.

"You'll be fine, Tannin will do whatever it takes to keep you healthy as a horse."

I smile.

"I know he will."

"Do you have any regrets? About being so young... or attached to him permanently... or just the responsibility of it all?"

I shake my head.

"I wouldn't change it, his parents were a little scandalized but Hazelle thought it was hilarious. She sorta treats me like a pet sometimes." Lily grimaced.

"Hazelle still scares me a little, she's a bit..."

"Momlike?" I offer.

"Momlike is a good term for it. Like she'll go ballistic if something happens to Tannin, or that she could singlehandedly run a household and juggle a career."

"She's a powerful force for sure."

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"Johns drunk." My heart stops when Lily whispers this to me halfway through the reception.

"He what? We just got the alcohol out though!" Drunk? What is he thinking?

"Must've started earlier. He's not making a mess of anything, but he's... he's upset. And he reeks."

"Upset-what did he do? What did he say to you?"

"He asked me out again, said he was mine for good."

"Oh Lily..." I fought back tears. "What did you say?"

"I told him he was drunk, and to tell me that when he was sober and ready to stop-I'm sorry, I can't repeat the rest to you." Her face held none of the warmth it usually did when she talked about our friend and sort of mutual ex, and it worried me as she cut herself off quickly and took advantage of the laughter at a nearby table to dart off. Of course, in my gigantic dress, I couldn't go after her, so I turned to look around the room for my husband. I found him with Will Hawthorne, laughing heartily. He smiled when he saw me, his face lighting up.

"Hello wife of mine." He leaned down for a kiss. I tried to block out all thoughts of my friends' complicated relationship and focus on how good being a wife felt.

I hardly noticed that my parents and little brother failed to show up at our little discount reception hall with the silver spray-painted chairs and plastic fold-up tables.

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By the time we'd returned from the beautiful honeymoon in the mountains, Lily and John were together again, and just after we all turned 25, they announced their engagement. Neither looked happy about it.

I was surprised, to say the least.

Second choice? What ever happened to high standards, Lils?

John, why did you never talk to me about your feelings? I thought you wanted Lily, I thought you asked me out because she was taken? That was years ago, why didn't you say something since then?

Lily, this is killing you, I haven't seen your smile in ages, what happened to the giggly, optimistic little blonde girl that used to sit cross legged on my bed? What happened to the Lily who blushed when she talked about boys?

And really John? Seriously? Drunk at my wedding? What kind of friend are you?

You've never used your words to cut people down more than at the shower, never had I seen such a mean side come out of that pretty pale face with the wide blue eyes. You thought you could disguise it with a sweet smile and a giggle afterwards, but none of us, your girlfriends who are on your side, will ever forget the way we felt when you delivered one sentence, just one, that cut just right.

John, you treat her right, you give her whatever the fuck she wants because she fucking deserves it, she deserves to feel loved and wanted so don't you fucking dare look at a single other person as long as you live. Don't you dare make her feel like second choice because you never made your first choice, you never did a single fucking thing about it and that's on you.

END OF PART 1


	9. Chapter 9 PART TWO

**PART 2 - PARENTING**

Even though we were married a year and a half longer, Lily and John announced their first pregnancy ahead of us, about three months into their marriage.

"We're hoping for a girl, we'll name her Adaira," Lily told me over a glass of sparkling cider. I smiled.

"I'm so happy for you, that will be one beautiful baby, and her parents are some of the best people I know."

"Yeah, we were quite the crew, weren't we? Sort of like a Disney love triangle going on for a while there. But it sorted itself out." She barely smiles, taking another sip of her drink. A wave of unease washes over me. Lily and I haven't talked much lately, and honestly I haven't enjoyed the few conversations we've had.

"Lils, are you doing okay? You haven't been yourself lately." I ask softly. Her steely blue eyes don't flinch as they would have ten years ago.

"I haven't been myself for a while, thanks for noticing." She almost scowls at me, plastering on half a smile as John sits beside her.

"Hi Sage, did Lily tell you our names?" I raise an eyebrow.

"Just the girl's name, what if it's a boy?"

"It won't be-" interjects his wife.

"It could be, hun, and I'll love him just as much as her." John smiles wanly. "I was thinking something unusual for a boy, we haven't decided anything yet though."

"Unusual is good, although you won't find cute keychains with their names." I point out, trying to lighten the mood. It doesn't really work, although we all laugh.

"I'm going to go find some cheese and crackers." Lily informs us before rising abruptly and leaving me with John. I scoot towards him quickly.

"John, what's going on? You guys looked happy but now she's-"

"I know, I know," John laments, head in his hands. "I fucked up pretty bad, Sage. I never should have married her, she feels like second choice no matter what."

"Is she?" I question him, curious for the answer but mostly wanting him to go through the mental process himself.

"I don't know, I picked you, but I don't think it was really a choice, I don't know, my head is spinning because I don't know who I liked first, I saw her a long time ago and I thought it was just a crush but then I thought I was in love with you but then I didn't think I was, and then she came along and I-" he groaned, downing his wine in one gulp.

"I love her, I love her a lot, and it hurts to see how much pain she's constantly in. I should have let her marry someone else who is better for her." He ends.

"You could be the best for her, but nobody here is thinking straight, myself included." I tell him. He nods in agreement and I rise as I see Lily on her way back over.

"Lily, I'll do your shower if you want," I offer, grimacing in memory of how the last shower I threw for her went.

"Thank you, Sage. That's hardly necessary but I guess it's protocol so I accept your offer." She replies woodenly.

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As sour as she had been three nights ago, Lily was in good spirits as we looked over lists of what she would need for the baby.

"Bassinet of course," she tells me through a mouthful of peanut butter ice cream.

"Yeah, that's on here already." I confirm.

"And I want your mom to knit one of those great baby blankets." I stop typing.

"I you want one of those, you're going to have to contact her."

"What? Seriously, I know I'm having you do a lot but that's just an email." She grumbles, shoveling more ice cream into her yet-rosebud shaped mouth.

"That's not the problem," I tell her quietly.

"What's the issue then?"

"Um..." I stall. "She disowned me. I haven't heard from her since I told her I was going to marry Tannin." Lily's spoon drops into her bowl with a clank, making me jump.

"What?"

"I told her I was going to marry Tannin and she lectured me for three hours about money and marrying into a lower class and when I didn't change my mind when she finished, she pointed to the door." I explain. Lily's mouth is a perfect O as her brain catches up.

"She always seemed so level headed and fair-" she starts.

"Well, she wasn't on the thing most important to me. Sure, it's been pretty tough sometimes, but Tannin and I have been nothing but happy together."

I know it's the wrong thing to say when she just picks up her spoon again and finishes the bowl.

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We lay Adaira Lily Mellark to rest the day after she was born, and I could barely meet John's red-rimmed eyes.

She was supposed to fix things, to make Lily happy again. But now... now she's a taboo subject, the little girl who never got to live.


	10. Chapter 10

A year after we buried little Adaira, a very different Lily and an all-too similar John announced their second child.

Even the world-weary, clear blue eyed girl perked up as she related her preparations for her child, again, firmly convinced it would be a girl.

"I just know she's going to make it. Of course she will. We'll name her Delia." She seemed to be trying to convince mostly herself.

The baby did live, but Delia seemed a poor choice of name for the bright eyed, robust little boy in her arms.

I'll be forever thankful that infants don't remember their first moments, because if that child knew how his mother cried over him, it would break his tiny heart.

"Lily, he's alive, he's healthy, he's ours!" John pleaded with his wife. She only thrust the baby into his arms and wept.

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So it went, Tannin and I were settling into a house, a real house that was ours. Apartment behind us, a new life ahead. I spun in circles through the bare entryway, diving into the thick carpet that greeted us from the living room.

"It's real, Tannin. It's ours!" I proclaimed as he laughed and spun me around.

Lily and John devoted their time to his bakery, he worked long hours in the back, frequently leaving Noethe in our care as Lily operated the front. I loved the little boy who was smart and quiet. He built rickety buildings from the blocks we'd gotten him for his birthday and scribbled all over his coloring book with different shades of blue and green. I loved watching him work, with his tiny pink tongue just poking out of his mouth. I could always feel Lily's resentment when she came to pick him up, as he showed more reluctance leaving me than he did leaving her that morning. I tried to ignore it.

Tannin and I decided to try for a child of our own by the time Noethe was two. It wasn't a difficult decision for either of us, but we found it difficult to make it happen.

We barely got any alone time together, if he wasn't working, I was taking care of Noethe, and if it was night, both of us were too worn out to initiate anything. But we weren't in a hurry as we knew we still had Noethe, even if he wasn't ours.

John told me they were expecting once more, another boy, he said. I extended my good wishes to him and Lily, telling them I would be more than happy to take care of the new baby as well as Noethe. Lily didn't respond and John only shrugged.

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"Sage, Lily is in labor! Will you please take care of her?" John begged frantically on the phone. Little Aron wasn't due for another two weeks, and John was away, helping his father move into his retirement home.

"Yes! I'll be right over!" I answered, downing the last of my coffee as I shoved my feet in my shoes and scooped up Noethe on my way out the door.

"Guess what, buddy?"

"What?" He responded in his limpid little voice from his car seat in the back.

"Mummy's going to have her baby today, you're gonna be his big brother!" I told him, wondering where on earth Noethe is supposed to go as I take care of his mother.

"I don't want to be a big brother, I like it to just be me and you, Auntie." He pouted. I smiled.

"You'll get used to him, I promise that we'll still have plenty of time to have fun together, does that sound good?"

"I guess. How does he come out of mommy?" He queried in a way only an just-over-three year old can do. I stifled a laugh as I thought a way around the question, but eventually ended up just telling him that it was complicated and he'll find out soon. Which he didn't like but at least I don't have to explain it to him...

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Baby Aron had a thick mop of curly, strawberry blond hair to go with his clear, pale complexion. He looked like a devious little cherub and I liked him the moment he started grinning in my arms.

"Hi Aron, I'm Auntie Sage, and this is your big brother, Noethe." I told him, carefully moving him into the arms of the boy peering curiously over my shoulder in the chair next to me.

"Careful, bud. Hold his head up for him, he can't do it himself yet." I tell him.

"He's okay, but I don't like it when he cries. He's too loud." My companion remarks. I laugh.

"You know you cried quite a bit when you were this age." He scowled at the baby and huffed.

"I didn't have a big brother to make sure I was okay." I smile again.

"No you didn't." I ruffle his curls.


	11. Chapter 11

"Auntie?"

"What is it, Noethe?" I looked down into the round, angelic face at my side.

"What happens when Mommy leaves?" I frown.

"I don't know what you mean, honey. When does Mommy leave?"

"She doesn't yet, but I hear her yell at Daddy that she will. What does that mean?"

I am left speechless. What do I tell this little kid, that his parents have a terrible marriage?

"hen Mommy and Daddy are upset, they say things that they don't really mean, do you remember the time you said you hated Aron because he dropped your car down the stairs?" Noethe nods seriously. "It's like that. Do you really hate Aron?"

"No, of course not! I'm his big brother!"

"See? It's like that. You were mad and you didn't mean it." He ponders this and goes back to his Play-Doh, which has become more or less a mud colored blob. I smile.

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"No, Aron, wait here Noethe-" I give Noethe the shirt I'd been helping him get on after he spilled lemonade all over his old one. I chase after Aron, who's stomping dangerously close to the flowers I'd just put in. He screams unhappily as I scoop him up, but is soon distracted by the necklace I'm wearing, one that Noethe made for me for Mother's day in kindergarten. I wasn't sure what Lily would say, but hopefully she doesn't know. Speaking of whom, she's due back from work to pick up the boys in a few minutes, so I bring Aron back inside and put him in his saucer so I can make sure Noethe gets dressed.

"Oh, you're dressed, perfect. Mommy should be here soon, you wanna help me pick up the crayons?" Noethe busies himself cleaning up, and Aron shrieks happily from his place. I stand up straight, grimacing as my back starts hurting again. I should probably go to the chiropractor soon.

"Noethe, Aron, time to go." I hear from the front door, as Lily lets herself in.

"Hi Lily, how was work?" I ask politely, picking up Aron and walking towards her.

"Long, dull. Same as always." She responds, holding her arms out for a resisting Aron.

"Noethe, come say hi to your mother." I scold him gently, giving him a push towards Lily. He sighs and hugs her leg.

"Thank you, Sage. I'll let you know if I need you tomorrow, I don't know if I'm going in yet." She tells me, extracting Noethe so she can take his hand and walk. I nod and grab Aron's diaper bag from the counter to bring to Lily's car.

Once both boys are loaded up, I wave goodbye and laugh as Noethe has his nose pressed against the window - until I hear Lily rebuke him for smudging the glass.

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"Hey, uh, Sage..." John started, rubbing his hand over his face.

"Yeah? Nothing's wrong, is it?" I automatically rest my hand over my stomach.

The boys are getting older, which makes taking care of them easier, which leaves me with more energy for Tannin, so...

"No, no, nothing's wrong. It's fine, it's just- Lily's pregnant again. I'm almost positive it's going to be a boy. So just, uh..." I nod.

"Don't talk about my baby around her, in case I have a girl?" He nods.

"It's so stupid, we should just adopt a little girl, I don't know why we don't..."

"It's not enough that she has two, beautiful, healthy boys, is it." He shakes his head sadly. I shrug.

"Whatever happens happens, we can only hope and pray that Lily either gets a girl, or that she gets over it."

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It wasn't a girl. 7 months after, when she goes into labor, I know it won't be. Me, with my dreamy, beautiful husband in my cozy, mortgage free house and my baby girl sleeping peacefully in her crib, I feel bad.

I feel bad because I don't have to have my best friend raise my children because my husband and I are too busy working.

I don't have to dream what it's like to have a little girl in frilly pink clothes and tiny sundresses.

I get boys and a girl, I get the first choice husband and the best guy friend.

I get everything and Lily gets nothing, it's no wonder she's bitter over it.

I wish there was something I could do but I can't think of anything at all. So I do what I do best, I ignore the problem and hope it goes away. In time, maybe it will.

And so I welcome Peeta Mellark into labor, and Lily mourns the loss of Hannae, her daughter.


	12. Chapter 12

"Good morning, sweetheart." I groaned as Tannin rolled me over.

"Is Katniss crying?"

"Yes, but that's not why I'm waking you up. I'm heading out today with John, we're taking the kids to the forest around the Hawthornes house. Hazelle might bring Gale out too. But you're staying here, sleeping in, and when you get up, there's a stack of pancakes downstairs for you to heat up and have for breakfast. I'll see you later." He kisses my forehead and starts to leave, but I grab his hand.

"Thank you, honey, have fun with Katniss and the boys, say hi to everyone for me." I pucker my lips up and Tannin leans down to smooch them. I hear Katniss stops crying and I hear the front door latch behind him shortly after. I smile and roll over.

Having a toddler is more work that I thought it would be. Taking care of someone else's kids is one thing, I don't have them at night so mornings were never a problem, but once Katniss was born, I've had all kinds of highly unhealthy sleeping habits. Like now, going back to sleep despite it being close to noon. Moms sleep when they can because they never know when they'll have another opportunity.

xxxxxxxxxxx

I hear the phone ring as my head is wrapped in a towel and I'm trying to find something to wear.

"Hello?"

"Good morning, Sage."

"Uh, hi Lily, how are you doing?"

"I'm fine, thank you. I was wondering if I could come over, with John and the kids gone, I have a disturbingly nonexistent list of things I need to do. I'm going a bit stir crazy."

"Yeah, That's fine, I just got out of the shower, maybe in half an hour?"

"Alright, see you then." I hang up and return to my closet.

Lily hasn't been herself in a long time, that conversation is the closest I've heard in years. I wonder what she wants to come here for, she's never had problems amusing herself, and it's not like she has the boys home much anyway, so it really wouldn't be that different.

I dress quickly and dry my hair, braiding it back and out of the way. Looking in the mirror, I feel suddenly old. I've basically singlehandedly raised three boys and a girl, and although they're all still children, I feel like I've been raising kids for a lifetime. I stand up straighter. I'm not even 30, I'm not as worldly wise as I sometimes think I am. I jump when I hear the doorbell. Has it been half an hour already?

"Hi, Lily, come on in." I greet my friend, holding the door open.

"Tannin let you sleep in?" She guesses, looking at my still damp hair.

"Yeah, he told me his plans right before he left around noon I think, I didn't even hear Katniss crying until he woke me up, I was completely out." She nods.

"Me too. John woke me up this morning to tell me his plans, and then I fell back asleep while he took care of the kids."

"So you have the day off at the bakery then?"

"Yeah, they'll be fine without the two of us for the day."

I nod. Conversation with Lily used to be so easy, but now it's just stilted and uncomfortable.

"I'm just going to do some cooking and cleaning things, I don't have a whole lot but you can just do whatever..."

"Give me a job, I'll help." She suggests. I shrug.

"You wanna... help me clean the kitchen?" I offer. She smiles.

"Yeah, let's get started."

We worked quietly for a while, and the kitchen was spotless. I wiped some wisps of hair off my forehead and Lily leaned against the counter.

"That didn't take long."

"No, it went faster than I thought." I reply. We were silent for a couple more minutes before she stood up straight and checked her phone.

"I still have twenty minutes before I need to leave, do you have another job?"

"Um... yeah, Katniss's room could stand to be tidied I guess."

We head up the stairs and I catch Lily touching a few of the girlier things here and there from the corner of my eye.

"Katniss has never really been fond of the pink and frilly things people have gotten her, she's very much a daddy's girl." I tell her. Lily nods.

"Tomboy. Good thing too since she has so many boys to play with, what with her cousins and my kids."

"Yes, she certainly won't be lonely. Are... are you and John - I can take those," she passes me a heap of clothes. "Are you and John planning on having any more kids?"

Lily shrugs.

"I'm headed from here to an appointment to see if I can, you know about the complications with Peeta's birth. I may not be able to."

I give her hand a squeeze like I did when we were younger. She blinks a couple times and keeps her eyes on the socks she's sorting into pairs.

"I hope it works out for you." I say. She nods and starts talking about the latest project Noethe has gotten himself into.


	13. Chapter 13

It's been years, Katniss and Peeta are nearly six now, and baby Primrose turned one three weeks ago. Lily found out five and a half years ago that she can't have more kids. When she tells me this, I try to comfort her, tell her she has three beautiful boys, tell her she can adopt a little girl, tell her she has all the aunty rights on my girls.

It's not enough.

John and I come together more and more often, trying to find something to make Lily be herself again, to lift her spirits.

I suggest a surprise party for her birthday once. If looks could kill, Lily would have me buried six feet under by now, and John and I vow to never throw her another surprise party.

John suggests a romantic getaway in the mountains, and I take the boys off their hands so they can go.

They come home three days early with bags under their eyes and scowls on their faces.

Tannin suggests the girls and I take Lily on a day trip to the nearby boutiques and have a girl's day out, eating lunch at the tea shop.

My girls are both crying when we get home, Lily looked furious when we dropped her off and Tannin rubbed my feet until I passed out on the couch.

"I'm concerned for my son."

"Why do you say that, John?" I looked up from Prim, dutifully scribbling through a coloring book, at my friend. He sits beside me on the garden bench with a grunt.

He held up a notebook that I guessed belongs to Peeta, judging by all the doodles over the cover. He opened the front page and there, scrawled in several different lettering styles, sat a name: Peeta Everdeen.

"Peeta Everdeen? Not Katniss Mellark?" I chuckled. John smiled and sat down next to me, flipping through several different pages with childish doodles of an unmistakable pair of grey eyes.

"Well, looks like Mellark men will always have a thing for Everdeen women, huh?" He laughed.

"John, you were never IN love with me..." I laughed in turn.

"I did love you, though, still do. I always will. I wanted to marry you."

"I know you did."

"It just made sense, we were together most of every day, and it was easy. Then you met Tannin..."

"Yeah... Then I met Tannin."

"You still love me though, right?" I laughed.

"Of course I do, Johnny, but you'd better get back to Lily before-" I trailed off.

"Yeah. I know. I-" John got up and started pacing. "I don't know what to do, I don't know who this woman is now. I mean Hannae was gone eight years ago! No, she didn't even die, she just turned out to be a boy, a sweet little boy. How can anyone hate the kid?" This is nothing new, nothing we haven't talked about dozens of times.

"You can't make her love Peeta, that's something she needs to do on her own."

"I wish I could make her love him. But I am glad he has you as a second mother." John leaned down to wrap his arms around me and then Prim, kissing her forehead. "I'll bring the kids over on Tuesday with some bread for you and Tannin."

"Thanks, John, talk to you later."

He leaves, and I think about all we've done together, what the four of us have grown up to be. I don't know what I am to Lily at this point. But I've never caught anything amiss between Tannin and John, for which I am thankful. One thing Tannin has never been is jealous.

Ten years ago, I never would've thought we would end up here.

 **That's the end of part two! Thanks for sticking it out until now, the next part will (probably maybe) be the last, covering Katniss and Peeta's story, follow to get notified when I put that up! Leave me a review, I'd love to know what you thought about this story so far :)**


	14. Chapter 14 PART THREE

"Get the applesauce, I'll get the cornflakes." I tell Peeta, giving his shoulder a shove to the next aisle. I look up.

Crap.

I'm about 5'2 and the cornflakes are up on the 6'1 shelf. I guess I'll have to climb the shelves to grab that box on the edge.

"Of all the stupid, tall things in this world-" I curse to myself as I find a foothold among the cheerios and shredded wheat down at knee level. But I guess I weigh more than a box of cereal because the shelf slipped and I fell, grabbing at boxes as if that would help me. My yelp brings Peeta back from the next aisle over with a concerned look on his face. This quickly morphs into amusement.

"Katniss I-" he was cut off by his snort. I sat on the floor, a half-crushed oat cereal beneath my ass and seven or eight more just hitting the ground around me. "Kat-" he tried again through his laughter. I glowered at him.

"It's not funny." He squatted down next to me and started picking up boxes, still grinning.

"I know it's not, it just... okay no, it is funny."

"I'm glad my pain is so amusing to you." I grumble.

"Come on, Katniss, lighten up." He looks at my scowling face, shakes his head when I don't change it, and continues helping me pick up after myself. We pop the sides back out of the crushed boxes and shove them into the back of the shelf, heedless of their bad condition. Finally, we put the applesauce and cornflakes into our cart and walk on as if nothing happened, smiling innocently at the employee who passed us.

"We didn't do anything..." He whispers to me. "No damage except your ego." I glare at him.

"Yeah, totally. Also, you didn't end up getting applesauce."

 **I know, super short. I promise the next one will be longer, I just wanted to get SOMETHING up since it's been so long. What kind of adventures do you want to see K+P go on? I'll be adding in some childhood stories via flashbacks so it takes less time for the story to progress.**

 **To you guys who have been with this story from the beginning: Thanks for you continued support :)**

 **New readers: Welcome, thanks for reading to this point, I hope you keep going ;D**


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